Tess of the Road Length: 16 Narrator: Katherine Lee McEwan
Series: Tess of the Road #1
Published by Random House Children's Books on February 27, 2018
Source: ARC Trade
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Action & Adventure / General, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / General, Young Adult Fiction / Historical / Medieval
Pages: 544
Find the Author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon
Format: ARC, Audiobook
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Goodreads
Award-winning Rachel Hartman's newest YA is a tour de force and an exquisite fantasy for the #metoo movement.
"Tess of the Road is astonishing and perfect. It's the most compassionate book I've read since George Eliot's Middlemarch." --NPR
In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons can be whomever they choose. Tess is none of these things. Tess is. . . different. She speaks out of turn, has wild ideas, and can't seem to keep out of trouble. Then Tess goes too far. What she's done is so disgraceful, she can't even allow herself to think of it. Unfortunately, the past cannot be ignored. So Tess's family decide the only path for her is a nunnery.
But on the day she is to join the nuns, Tess chooses a different path for herself. She cuts her hair, pulls on her boots, and sets out on a journey. She's not running away, she's running towards something. What that something is, she doesn't know. Tess just knows that the open road is a map to somewhere else--a life where she might belong.
Returning to the spellbinding world of the Southlands she created in the award-winning, New York Times bestselling novel Seraphina, Rachel Hartman explores self-reliance and redemption in this wholly original fantasy.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR * BOSTON GLOBE * The Chicago Public Library * KIRKUS REVIEWS
Four starred reviews!
"The world building is gorgeous, the creatures are vivid and Hartman is a masterful storyteller. Pick up this novel, and savor every page." --Paste Magazine
Review
Tess of the road is not your typical fantasy novel; yes, it has fantasy elements but at its heart is the journey of a twin sister who has been deemed the evil twin. Tess makes all the wrong choices and disappoints her family at every turn. This book does not shy away from sharing just how terrible the world and her family are to Tess. The addition of their dragons and subspecies ties it in very nicely with its predecessor Seraphina, who makes a few appearances in this tale. Tess’s journey is heartbreaking, raw, and very emotional, from the loss of her child to the heartbreak of being left with bleak choices to the terrifying decision to strike out on her own.
I would suggest you go into this one, knowing it is a coming of age story and that it is a journey all about Tess with the dragons being a backdrop instead of the focal point. I think this is where the low ratings are given. Not realizing your diving into a story like this can ruin your experience. Do your research and make sure you are ready for the journey you and Tess will go on.
Audiobook Sample
About Katherine Lee McEwan
Katharine Lee McEwan is an award-winning British actress, writer, producer and voice artist.
Her films have been invited to over a hundred film festivals world-wide, including screenings in New York, Moscow, Sydney and Toronto. Katharine’s feature film SOLITARY which she wrote, produced and starred in, won sixteen festival awards and opened both the Chelsea Film Festival in New York, and the London Independent Film Festival, where it won Best UK Feature.
Katharine was born in Redcar, Cleveland and spent her early years being home-schooled by her parents and acting in local productions. Deciding to forgo university and seek overseas adventure instead, Katharine traveled through Europe, Asia, South Africa and Australia. It was on these journeys, inspired by the stories of the many unique people she encountered, that she decided to return to her love of storytelling. Arriving in Los Angeles with a renewed passion and an even greater desire to study her craft, she enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Upon graduating, Katharine started working in theatre and independent film, but soon realized that creating her own material would give her the opportunity to play the strong, dynamic women she most identified with.
In addition to her on-camera work, Katharine is also an award-winning narrator, having lent her voice to numerous titles spanning genres such as fiction, fantasy, and drama, and including works by New York Times best-selling authors. As a writer, Katharine has created and performed stories with Snap Judgement Live! and the Road Theatre in Los Angeles, and works regularly as a script doctor and screenwriter. For producing projects, including her current slate, please visit Katharine’s production company ZETLAND MEDIA.
About Rachel Hartman
Rachel Hartman is the author of the acclaimed YA fantasy novel SERAPHINA, a New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2013 Morris Award, and its sequel SHADOW SCALE. Coming in 2018 is TESS OF THE ROAD, a third novel set in the same fantasy world, following the adventures of one of Seraphina’s younger half-sisters. Rachel lives with her family in Vancouver, Canada. In her free time she sings with a madrigal choir (the QuasiModals), walks her whippet in the rain, and is learning to fence.
